BOSTON, MA, February 14, 2022 — Fenway Health announces today that Shari Stier will join the organization as its Chief People Officer. She will assume the role on April 4.
Stier brings over 20 years of experience, including a track record of building successful staffing recruitment, management, and retention strategies that are grounded in organizational values, transparent communication, and collaborative decision-making. Most recently, she served as Senior Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Emerson College, where she oversaw a staff of 16 human resource professionals and led the college’s design efforts to reduce on-campus staff density, manage a remote and hybrid workforce, and stand up a COVID-19 testing center and tracing efforts in response to pandemic-driven changes in the workplace.
“Throughout her career, Shari has demonstrated creativity, innovation, leadership, and strategic thinking to build and support workplace cultures in large, complex institutions that enable people throughout the organization to thrive,” said Fenway Health Chief Executive Officer Ellen LaPointe. “Shari will play a key role in helping Fenway Health cultivate and sustain a strong team and work environment that will enable us to reach and serve everyone who stands to benefit from the care, services, research, education, and advocacy we provide.”
Priorities for Fenway Health’s Chief People Officer include creating and sustaining the conditions for a flourishing work community at Fenway Health in which everyone is engaged in cultivating a strong, positive culture that prioritizes the delivery of high-quality care and services. The Chief People Officer will ensure that organizational policies and initiatives incorporate intersectional racial equity principles to ensure the highest level of employee engagement, learning, accountability, and resilience throughout the organization.
“My passion is creating systems that make it possible for people to do their best work and be their best selves. Fenway Health’s commitment to racial equity and social justice is foundational to creating a workplace culture in which people of all races, cultures, and sexual and gender identities can see themselves represented and welcomed throughout the institution,” Stier said. “I’m so honored, excited, and proud to join Fenway Health.”
Stier is a seasoned strategic leader experienced in building workplace cultures that honor, respect, and promote shared success. At Emerson College, she introduced a new process through which human resource policies were substantially revised with input from the entire community, resulting in greater clarity, compliance, and alignment with Emerson College’s mission and values. She created a process to enhance employee engagement by organizing monthly meetings of staff from throughout the organization to discuss current news and papers related to workplace issues ranging from compensation, work hours, vacation time, and supervisor-supervisee relationships. She is currently leading an effort to ensure that HR systems and processes are more responsive and trauma informed.
Prior to Emerson College, Stier worked at two global nonprofits specializing in sexual and reproductive rights and health, primary health care, and educational development. At Pact, she served as Vice President of Global Human Resources where she implemented human resources systems and processes in offices across 25 countries. At Pathfinder International, she served as Director of Human Resources where she led the development of a global service-oriented HR department responsible for supporting employees in the United States and 25 additional countries.
All of Stier’s professional work is informed by her personal experiences as a Jewish, queer woman. “As a straight passing, white woman in a leadership position, it is important for me to listen and stay informed about how institutions, despite their best efforts, can marginalize people,” Stier said. “I believe that a workplace that has tremendous diversity is a stronger workplace. Part of being your best self is being able to be your full self and not leave parts of your identity at the door.”
Stier has served on the Board of Directors of InsideNGO and is a member of Northeast Human Resources Association and the Society for Human Resources Management. She holds a Master’s of Science degree in Human Resources and Organization Development from American University. She is the parent of two adult sons and a caretaker, along with her three siblings, of her aging mom. She lives in Needham, MA with two COVID cats named Lilith and Loki.
About Fenway Health
Founded in 1971, Fenway Health advocates for and delivers innovative, equitable, accessible health care, supportive services, and transformative research and education. We center LGBTQIA+ people, BIPOC individuals, and other underserved communities to enable our local, national, and global neighbors to flourish.